Single Idea 4200

[catalogued under 9. Objects / E. Objects over Time / 9. Ship of Theseus]

Full Idea

The parts of a ship in a warehouse belong to no ship at all, ..and once they are appropriated by another ship they cease to be parts of the original, ..so it seems that the renovated ship (not the reconstruction) is identified with the original.

Gist of Idea

If old parts are stored and then appropriated, they are no longer part of the original (which is the renovated ship).

Source

E.J. Lowe (A Survey of Metaphysics [2002], p.31)

Book Reference

Lowe,E.J.: 'A Survey of Metaphysics' [OUP 2002], p.31


A Reaction

The parts in the warehouse could belong to the original (they might even labelled), but assigning them to a new ship does indeed look like a crucial break in the continuity.